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High School

"High Striker" with PocketLab & ScratchX

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Submitted by Rich on Sat, 09/01/2018 - 19:29

Carnival Games

Most everyone enjoys a carnival!  Some like the food--from cotton candy, to funnel cakes, to ice cream.  Others enjoy rides such as the carousel, Ferris wheel, and bumper cars.  Many like to test their skills in games like "Milk Bottle", "Balloon and Dart", and "Ring Toss".  One of the most well-know skill games is "High Striker", sometimes called "Ring the Bell" or "Strongman Game".  This game is commonly played by guys trying to impress girlfriends and wives with their macho strength.  In this game, a large mallet is used to strike one end of a lever.  Th

Tactile Sensor as an ON/OFF ScratchX Switch

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Submitted by Rich on Sun, 08/26/2018 - 01:04

A Tactile Sensor ON/OFF ScratchX Switch

This lesson provides an example of how to ScratchX program PocketLab Voyager's tactile sensor as an ON/OFF switch.  If you have a device such as a light bulb, motor, or robot that is under control of ScratchX, then the code in this lesson may be a starting point for you.  The ScratchX program assumes that the device can be in any one of two possible states, which we will call ON and OFF.

Theremin Music Simulation: Voyager/ScratchX

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Submitted by Rich on Mon, 08/20/2018 - 20:41

What is a Theremin?

A theremin , named after its Russian inventor in the early 1900's, is an electronic musical instrument that is controlled without any contact by the musician.   Volume is controlled by moving one hand near one antenna, while pitch is controlled by moving the other hand near a second antenna.  The sound is generated by a pair of high-frequency oscillators.

Subject

Dynamometer for Hand Strength

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Submitted by Rich on Mon, 08/13/2018 - 17:41

A PocketLab Voyager Hand Dynamometer

Hand and finger strength is vital in many aspects of life--from sports such as rock climbing to jobs including airline baggage workers.  PocketLab Voyager's tactile sensor can be used to construct a very simple hand dynamometer to measure strength of a person's hands and fingers.  Figure 1 shows a simple dynamometer constructed by the author.  It consists of a 2" x 2" x 4" block of wood to which the PocketLab tactile sensor has been attached using removable double stick poster tape.

Subject

Heel Pressure: Running versus Walking

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Submitted by Rich on Fri, 08/10/2018 - 18:28

Heel Pressure

Do you really know how to walk or run?  PocketLab's tactile pressure sensor provides for an opportunity for your students to investigate foot pressure during these activities.  Improper form can ultimately lead to unwanted visits to a podiatrist.  Whenever you take a step, your body places pressure on muscles, joints and tendons in your legs, knees, ankles, feet and toes.   Controlling heel pressure is a key factor to prevent injuries in this regard.

Subject

Hysteresis of a Tactile Sensor

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Submitted by Rich on Mon, 07/30/2018 - 15:38

What is hysteresis?

Hysteresis can be defined as a lag time in the response of a system to forces placed on the system.  A common way used in physics classes to observe hysteresis is by loading and then unloading weights from a suspended rubber band, while observing the extension of the rubber band.  Students find that the rubber band does not Obey Hooke's law.  They also observe that the amount of stretch of the rubber band is different when unloading than when loading.

Subject
Grade Level

3D Printed Pendulum for Simple Harmonic Motion

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Submitted by clifton on Mon, 07/09/2018 - 19:37

This 3D printed model demonstrates the physics of a simple pendulum that consists of a mass, m, hanging from an arm of length, L, and fixed at a pivot point, P. You can move the mass along the length of the arm to change the center of mass of the pendulum. If you displace the pendulum from equilibrium to an initial angle, θ, and release, the motion will be regular and repeat. This is an example of periodic motion also called simple harmonic motion.

Grade Level

Relative Velocity Lab: PocketLab/Ozobot/LEGO

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Submitted by Rich on Sat, 06/30/2018 - 19:32

Introduction to Relative Velocity

Airplanes can experience head winds or tail winds that affect their flight time.  Similarly, motorboats on a river experience ground velocities that are dependent on whether they are traveling upstream or downstream.  Both of these phenomena are associated with a physics concept known as relative velocity--the main topic of this lab.

Grade Level

Voyager Rides an RC Car for Summertime Fun

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Submitted by Rich on Wed, 06/20/2018 - 18:18

RC Car Fun!!!

Here is a fun summertime activity!  Race an RC car with PocketLab Voyager. Challenge your friends to see who can negotiate a series of cones in the shortest amount of time without hitting any of the cones.  Start and end times are obtained by Voyager's magnetometer as the RC car passes by magnets.  

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